How To Fix a Blower Motor Not Working ~ LOUD NOISES

How to fix a blower motor not working. Blower motors can fail in many ways, a blower motor resistor failure can cause only high speed function. Some times blower motors make noise, like this Jetta SportWagon. In this video we test the blower motor in a 2014 Jetta SportWagon, cover blower motor resistor testing and replace a noisy blower motor.
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disclaimer:
The content of this video is available for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for the professional advice of a mechanic who has personally inspected your vehicle, nor does it create a relationship of any kind between the Humble Mechanic and you. Every situation may be different, and the Humble Mechanic does not make any warranties, whether express or implied, as to the accuracy, fitness, or applicability of the information or automotive parts portrayed in this video to any project and makes no guarantee of results. The Humble Mechanic and any sponsors of this video will not be liable for any damages related to personal injury, property damage or loss of any kind that may result from the use or reliance on this video and/or any automotive parts represented in this video. You are using the information and automotive parts portrayed in this video solely at your own risk.

[@danjordan1979]

I hate that you make it all look so simple! That's the power of knowledge and experience, I guess. Very well explained and easy to follow. Great work as ever! Thank you 👍

[@chrisjones444]

Yes. I watched him swap out a thermostat housing and water transfer pipe. Until I tried it…ended up in the garage for 2 weeks!!

[@moffatk7948]

I must say its really not difficult. I did this job about 3 months ago on my Tiguan, mine was just dusty and setting 2-4 had vibrating due to dust I stripped cleaned and replaced and it's now running quiet and smooth. I guess you right that its different strokes for different folks. I'm not a mechanic but a DIY guy, but I must say I like to fiddle with anything. A big plus is KZbin videos.

[@jbthestoner5504]

Taking interiors apart can be really frustrating if you're not experienced with then or familiar with the vehicle. Especially on cars since your customer wants everything to look exactly the way it did before. I struggle enough as it is on our fleet trucks, which have much simpler interiors and no one cares about the condition of the panels. I might be able to climb in the back of a garbage truck and remove a 200 lb hydraulic cylinder through a hole about 1'x1', but I could never do professional dash work on a car.

[@Kris-bl8zp]

he made it way harder than it actually is, none of the bolts need to be removed, you can wiggle the motor out. just did it on my car

[@StaufferGarage]

That’s the craziest part of those things, the crazy shit you find inside!

[@theforgiven22]

My boss pulled a rat out of one recently, little guy was pretty flat from spinning.

[@shemmo]

i also replaced blower motor in my mk5 Golf long time ago, but no need to move glove box at all.. just lot of gymnastics was needed 🤣 you wouldn't believe in what awkward positions i was in

[@Colty0]

Did it on a Mk6 TDI Golf and a Mk5 Rabbit. Not needed, would have been nice to know this all though lol. It felt like I was just half an inch away from it being an easy thing.

[@johnpeterson146]

Some people can post excellent "how to" videos and some people can't. You are definitely one who can! Thank you for the well demonstrated information. - John

[@blockbertus]

Could have checked the filter, too. Also, the resistor usually fails due to the motor seizing and drawing more current than usual. Or if the filter to clogged and not enough air goes through it to cool it enough.

[@George-zq2sk]

As always awesome content Charles, as always you make it look so easy, when I did it on my Mark V it was many hours of pain and frustration.

[@mmaskari11]

Thanks for making the clip simple and swift to follow the steps.

[@yodasbff3395]

Good tutorial 👍, had to do this on my 2002 tdi wagon with 400k miles, brushes were completely worn out. The process was almost exactly the same.

[@andrewdixon8139]

Many thanks to you sir. I was actually making notes to go buy and change my motor when I came across your video. Out of curiosity I opened up mine and lo and behold I found a piece of plastic in my motor and it looks like it got there at my last service when they changed the air filter. End result is noise is now gone at high speeds🎉

[@oatmeal9164]

Thanks Charles I needed this video like 4 years ago 😂

[@puttekindh2992]

Tnx Charles! My next project on my Golf when spring arrives…. This will come in handy!

[@leod1671]

Great self help video. Thank you!

[@That_spicy_rocco]

Had a horrible nose coming from my fan, used this video to get my fan out.... Found one of my dogs plastic pooh bags tangled up in the fan, thank you so much you've saved me over £250 🙌 you the man my friend

[@matte8441]

As a Toyota tech i replaced these all the time as we had a TSB where the motors may make noise in sub freezing weather and often enough they just warranty it. A lot easier than this but the easiest blower I've done was on my E90 BMW.. Just drop the kick panel and twist it similar to this Golf, despite the repair manual also wanting to take the dashboard out (Imagine the price gouging the dealership has). Worst one i've done was a Kia Rio.

[@bodyboarder831]

Loved watching the struggle part, let's me know I'm not the only one. Great video!

[@LostSheepful]

Thanks for your help. Mine's a 2010 Jetta Sportwagen- Your video helped after I first tried without removing any trim. But, despite removing all six glovebox screws, the glovebox still seemed solidly attached. But, with the side panel out & carpet rolled back, the insulation panel on the wall pushed a little, there was just barely enough room to squeak the blower out without taking the glove box out. Putting the blower back in was not too bad and turned out to be the easiest part of all. The body clips from the rocker door cover and side panel were stuck in the car so those had to be removed. Getting out the metal door clip wasn't fun but an old nail puller held tight & screwdriver got it free. The threshold still didn't sit snug after put back together so took it apart to see what I'd done wrong. Nothing seemed obvious. Put it back together more carefully but still there's a lift at intersection. Then it started raining (again, of course). So, during cleaned up of course I found one spare door clip. So, that will need to go back in if the rain stops before snow flies. But, let that be a lesson if you aren't used to removing body panels...if it doesn't sit right look for stray clips that must have flown out during panel removal. As I put the fabric panel cover into place it just touched the under glove box light and the light went off- probably blown. It got hot from the door being open a half hour or so & maybe the panel was just cool enough to blow the bulb...I can only hope. What was causing a low growling very loud noise turned out to be only a paper napkin! And now the noise is gone. Thanks for your video and help!

[@Delta9D9]

That resistor is similar to what is used in Dodge Dakota Sport truck i had. Changing the fan would not prevent the harness from melting and it seemed to always fail in winter. There was high resistance somewhere causing the melting and burning of wires as well as failure of the resistor. I gave up after having a swimming pool (Just water) on the passenger side and two resister and fan failures within weeks during winter conditions.

[@davekana8388]

Charles, you’re the Man!

[@aroundomaha]

Cards in our bike spokes was the first thing I thought of when I saw the business card in there. Great look at dash disassembly.

[@user-qq4bh9uu6v]

Thanks for the great video! What specifically does the male side of the noise dampening trim clips look like?

[@annrupert9376]

You video is so helpful. Thank you for sharing

[@DevineDigital]

Didn’t get to say hi at Eurotripper but I did see you twice running around like a mad man in the R section. Thanks for all you do with these videos!

[@alvisgineika9306]

Thanks ,,,, will check it out and clean it if needed, maybe yes as the cabin filter was dirty All the Best

[@leocastro1946]

Wow! Lots of info>>thanks!

[@mitchelreasoner4329]

Just had this exact problem in my 2012 Touareg tdi glad I saw this video

[@patkelly7999]

Good job Charles👌👍🙂

[@RacingforALS]

Sooo cool, thanks man!!

[@laalaa99stl]

Strange. I replaced mine without having to disassemble the glove box or any other trim. Just a counterclockwise twist to remove and a clockwise twist to re-install. It seemed mine ha d a lot of stiction from water ingress somehow? I hit it with PB Blaster and it seemed to spin OK again, but it was a dirt cheap part to replace with a $15 3rd party fan. So replaced it I did. The blower motor resistor seems to go out for me every two years or so, so I keep a supply handy lol. Also might as well do the cabin filter while you're down there.

[@beniaminrolea8891]

I did the same, no trim removed. It's a pain, but I did it...

[@auTHORity0492]

Ugh, could have used this a few months ago, :P. Had two blower motors to replace (2012 GTI and 2014 Jetta SE). Didn't take anything out, other than the lower kick cover and it was tight on the jetta to remove. GTI was easy. The plastic footwell air distributor and wire harness was like a bottleneck. Nice DIY!

[@aznerol0770]

I needed this video several months ago while replacing my blower motor and the resistor. I ended up breaking a fan blade on the new blower motor.

[@philipsweeney7935]

Very helpful video, just done this on my mums Polo thanks to this video. A plastic dog poop bag was wrapped round the fan spindle!!!

[@natemallory9141]

Good vid. My 2014 Jetta making exact same noise🤦🏽‍♂️

[@googlegmail6997]

My favorite dude

[@rottwailern1236]

Super helpful

[@takeomack2782]

Love your video as always! Hope the blue R32 is doing well.

[@HumbleMechanic]

Hey dude!!! Hope you’re good. My r32 is doing great. She will be getting chains soon

[@Patrick94GSR]

Had the blower resistor fail in my first car, an 89 Camry 5MT. For years even when my parents drove it, the lowest speed wouldn’t work. This was in the late 90’s during the Internet’s infancy. I found out how to find resistors from Radio Shack and soldered them in myself, restoring the fan to full functionality.

[@zeez9053]

Man your a Professional 👍🇬🇧

[@DeusVult98]

Charles, I also have a 2014 Sportwagen TDI, and I've never been able to find a good repair manual for it. Do you have any recommendations?

[@daviscc65]

Love the way you keep flipping the card 😆

[@austinmoehring6110]

Great vid. You should see 94 BMW 325I. You have to cut the squirrel cages off inside it's housing outside behind the firewall to remove the motor! That or take the entire dashboard out! Yeah few know the struggle of that car. Like the fuel filter tucked deep inside the caverns of the engine!

[@marcvalme7732]

Unfortunately, some technicians would return the part but still charge the customer for it.

[@stevegee218]

Request the old parts when you have part replacement done.

[@ruinunes8251]

Is the ducting for the air recirculation that large in order to fit a business card?

[@Nikolodzi]

I had a similar issue, but my motor had a plastic piece inside it, I couldn't find the origin of that plastic piece, but it fixed the sound. I didn't loosen the glovebox nor the ducting, the only thing I did was push the ducting slightly towards the passenger seat and with a few minutes of struggling got the motor out and then back in.

[@That_spicy_rocco]

Sir, would this removal process be the same for a 2010 vw Scirocco?

[@MK5Snowboarder]

5:56 Now I know to try and replace this resister since speed 4 is the only one working in my mk5 gti. Wish I found this video last week before I ordered the ac/heater controller and installed it not 3 hours ago hahahaha 😢 Your videos are SOOOO FREAKING GOOOOOOD!

[@Migueltucompa]

Thanks! Pep boys wanted to charge me 1100 bucks for that but I just needed the inspection to start doing by my own (sometimes my father helps me😅)

[@alehksaj6635]

I have a 2006 GTI and I don't have a resistor like the one in the video, it's it solid piece that looks like a hole could be cut for a resistor. I have the dials that light up with the little lcd screens. and the blower motor just crapped out.

[@DAWMiller]

A good tip for Audi / VW owners when replacing a part like the blower motor/resistor, is to look up the OEM part # for your cars blower motor and search for that part. My A3 needed a $400 Audi blower/resistor, but the same package was $180 under the generic brand name.

[@HumbleMechanic]

THAT is a good advice. I kinda did the opposite. searched online, it was $450, went to dealer, it was $200.

[@vw5056]

Is the generic the same manufacturer? I replaced the factory blower motor on my Mk3 with a Chinesium to save a few bucks and the pos isnt even balanced. Vibrates badly enough to make it unusable at setting II and higher. Should have spent the extra money.

[@Swordie100]

@@vw5056 Depends on the brand. I would trust Meyle with coolant flanges or SKF with bearings, as opposed to *insert unknown brand*.

[@panzerveps]

Strangest thing I've found in the blower motor was a ball point pen. Ink and plastic fragments everywhere!

[@90albert0]

hey Charles, in my 2013 VAG car my climatronic has this strange fan speed where it's pulsing when set on AUTO. It can't pick a speed for some reason, 0 faults with VCDS. Do you reckon its that resistor?

[@lexusfan100]

You should have inspected the cabin air filter as well.

[@theskateboardt619]

Frost heater card haha those are awesome had one for my diesel too

[@av8tordan514]

I took two of these motors apart. One from my 2015 GTI AND 2012 Passat. The reason why they fail so often is that they use carbon brushes. When they wear and the spring has no more tension to press the carbon brush the stop working. Why is VW still using brush motors? Why not go to a brushless motor?

[@gunmanx4]

Because its cheaper for them to make and since they wear faster they make money off of replacing them in service

[@devonjudah1108]

Is this process the same for a 2012 Volkswagen CC?

[@immeetch8895]

Curious, do you now just run your own little shop at home? I love the videos.

[@haroonmalek1971]

I've done a few of these I never took the glovebox off I just take the bottom cover off and twist blower motor and take it out but bit off a struggle putting it back in. But this is on a right hand drive car if it make any difference.

[@MH-wg6bz]

Back in the day, we would re-lube the fan motor bearing to get a few more years out of it if it started making noise. (drilling a hole if necessary) I wonder if the same can be done on a modern unit.

[@dot7107]

Yes u can, it is just electric motor and dry bearing

[@danielzagdan-gross2309]

What type of lube would you suggest for a blower motor bearing?

[@MH-wg6bz]

@@danielzagdan-gross2309 Just light oil, like 3 in 1 oil

[@vehicle-stuff]

Great video. Again we'll presented and thanks for the tips how to not remove the entire glove box. Do you recommend a cleaning period on time or miles? You also showed another thing why those stupid touch HVAC controls are so stupid and pointless. I dare you to do the testing in the same position in your new Golf R. One hand holding the motor , head stuck underneath and with the other gloved hand operating the fan speed just by touch. It will be a nice comparison :).

[@MrTheHillfolk]

It's actually a surprise that they are accessable, what with the way they build things for quick assembly anymore. When I was at the Wolfsburg factory in 2005 seeing the last mk4s assembled on the line ,the whole complete dash with hvac was installed in under a minute. Remember that the next time you have to go in and replace a heater core and it takes you 6 hours.

[@kristijancoric3604]

Good simple video Charles. I got the similar issue on me MK5 Gti, where my blower motor works fine and is not noisy at all but the fuse for it keeps blowing up for some reason. Now I've replaced resistor and it got a little better meaning more time is passing between blown fuses. Ots been few months now since the last blowout. Any idea as to why?

[@tylerbeard4092]

It sounds like the motor is going out and it’s pulling too much current and blowing the resistor . Probably replace both

[@kristijancoric3604]

@@tylerbeard4092 Thanks for the reply. Funny thing it does not happen in the summer/warm months of the year, mainly in the winter time when its really cold(am in Ontario Canada)

[@neyverdandi1704]

The cryogenic system used to fix the crankshaft in VW 1.0 TSI 3-cylinder engines allows the assembly to be rebuilt, including pistons and connecting rods. There is a recommendation from VW so that the original measurements of such components are not changed, check?

[@Aar0n991]

Any tricks to replace AC evaporator in a 2013 Jetta without pulling the whole dash out?

[@vamodizer]

Hello!! If something falls into de middle vent, is there any place where I can recover the falling piece??

[@jessie2_savage]

What if the ac etc is working but not blowing from front vents could it be the motor resistor. I've changed the fuses, cabin filter, and made sure there is no leaks or anything stuck in the intake fan. Any advice ?

[@ndccpf1]

I recently had cold weather "squeal" on the blower motor for my 06.5 MKV GTI (255,000 miles). I dropped down teh blower motor with plastic HVAC tube and glovebox in place. I just pushed the large wireharnes up towards the firewall and top of the carpeted area... wiggle the fan motor and it comes down (unploug the power connector 1st).

[@Joel_114]

I was able to barely get the motor out without removing the glove box or vent on my 17' Jetta. I just pulled it down in front of the thick cable in the back first then pushed on the vent while pulling it down. It was snug but it came out. There was also something in mine that had been causing a vibration which I thought it was failing.

[@HumbleMechanic]

yeah you can(most of the time) sneak it out. but for a few extra screws, I dont' think it worth it

[@ergosteur]

I wish I'd seen this last summer, my motor resistor failed with it running only on high speed, and then blew up the motor itself before I was able to get the issue diagnosed.

[@TheRwdyAudi]

Love the content ... how much would u say you voice over in post creator to creator?

[@pchris]

My miata makes the exact same sound. I suspected it was just something stuck in there. I hope that's the case.

[@ThePlombyras]

i had blower motor problems with my last 3 cars. one was making dry bearing noise (2011 vw polo) other was so worn out bearing that dont even want to spin(vw golf 2000) and the last just worn out contacts in motor (opel kadet 1983)... all made in same manner.

[@G60syncro]

Another common ailment that happened on two Audis I owned are fans that cut out randomly... Breaking the motor open and cleaning the commutator with a scotchbrite fixed it! It happens because if the motor stops with the brushes sitting on one or the dirtier poles with lots of carbon buildup it won't start. If you drive a while, it shakes up the motor a bit and rotates it off that bad spot and it wors like a champ again... for a while!!

[@aramtopjian220]

Thanks for saving them $$$$

[@dougkinney2324]

I've got this same car and my blower motor bearing was going out. I ordered a new blower motor off the internet for replacement. All I had to do was pull the trim panel off the bottom, unplug the blower motor, twist and pull it out with a slight twist. I didn't have to disassemble anything else. It took less than 10 minutes total time. This level of disassembly is not required.

[@thomasdxx]

I have a question, I have a 2008 Vw Passat with dual zone Climatronic and there is a strange issue when the car is travelling over about 70mph eventually the airflow from the vents gets VERY weak, it’s like one of the doors in the dash is getting stuck or if there’s a flap or something that shuts at highway speed that is restricting airflow, if I turn on air recirculation it sounds like the blower motor is working properly - yet the airflow is very poor regardless of vent position, any suggestions before I pull my hair out??

[@snap_oversteer]

Mine started making similar sound, found out that parking ticket placed on driver's side near windshield somehow managed to get stuck into the fan, so luckily original fan from 2006 is still working :D

[@Socialflipper]

Is the blower motor removal exactly the same for a 06 jetta tdi?

[@HumbleMechanic]

Think it’s even easier. But same basic atepa

[@seanthepowerdavies]

I had this problem a long time ago at a previous workplace, turned out the windscreen had been removed and refitted and the technician let the old glass sealant that he cut off drop down the back of the dash and it somehow ended up in the blower

[@dicknodnfs]

I still have the original blower motor on my '01 GTI with 200k miles.

[@HumbleMechanic]

That’s awesome.

[@kennethd7048]

Hey there Charles.. I just have a question for you or the community. I have an opportunity to buy a 2007 Audi S6.. it has 116,000 is it still a good car if it's been taken care of? It's a V10..

[@boostedsti04]

I have an issue with my gti. The ac is running full then partial then full. Could this be the blower and or resistor?

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

2002 Focus was super easy to replace with one from ""the yard"

[@danparden8103]

What kind of gloves do you use?

[@leunitqorri9809]

I have passat 2014 year and blower is staying on all time I have replacement the resistor of blower but the same again no stoping can you say what is the problem

[@syndoxxx1665]

having a problem with my windshield defroster at the moment, I'm receiving heat from everywhere else but the 2 fans by the windshield which is weird.

[@k0mp4k]

MK5 was a lot easier as you don't have to really take out anything except the foam cover. After my blower died I just replaced the brushes for a grand total of 4 euros. They are not meant to be replaced but you can get away with soldering new ones in. It ran for a couple more years after that before I had to replace the whole unit.

[@Kris-bl8zp]

same on mk6, idk why he did all that. i just did so in my own mk6 atleast

[@89dungey]

If mine is making a chirping sound on low what should I do. It goes away when I turn it up , 16’ mk7 R

[@300DBenz]

At least you didn’t have to cut the blower motor out of this one. On some GMs, the tech has to cut the plastic around the bottom of the blower with a box razor, remove it, swap the new motor and squirrel cage into the cut plastic piece, and then screw it back into the heater box. (And of course, there’s almost no room to use the box razor...🤬)

[@HumbleMechanic]

Yeah that’s silly.

[@blazbohinc4964]

If you already take the dash apart, change the motor in the process. They usually don't die though.. Mine died because water got into the main bearing and rusted it, creating lee way and it was out of balance afterwards.. And that was caused by my drainage line being clogged..

[@bonperal]

Great DIY. Would love to see a DIY on resealing a MK6 GTI cam girdle. Don't ask me why. ;^)

[@dudley7540]

Volvos used to pull plastic bags into the recirc from the passenger footwell. Little noisey.

[@haugwoods]

@HumbleMechanic unrelated question: I have a 2009 Jetta wagon with a failing rear door lock actuator - I've seen your video replacing it on a hatchback but I can not figure out how to get to it on my wagon to save my life.... can you help with that?

[@HumbleMechanic]

I think you access that one through the inside door panel. I dont know if ive done one on that JSW

[@haugwoods]

@@HumbleMechanic Thanks for the quick response, have to try again then.... also can't find any tutorial or written instruction on the interwebs anywhere....

[@breadnaut3087]

Blower motor? Easiest fix? Fire. Light the whole car on fire.

[@davidjeffery9972]

I have to do this to my Jetta as it squeals sometimes.

[@HouseCallAutoRepair]

Hey Charles! "My helicopter has a car rattle in the instrument cluster..."

[@johngassmann9581]

What years does this work on? I have a 2016 Jetta that has a squeaky blower motor, and I'm considering digging into it myself.

[@HumbleMechanic]

It’s probably similar

[@300DBenz]

I’ve come across blower motors in CCs and Passats literally freezing solid in winter due to a cowl design flaw letting fine powered snow in.

[@HumbleMechanic]

Now that I haven’t seen! But I’m in NC

[@300DBenz]

@@HumbleMechanic VW actually has a TSB on it and a modified cowl intake panel to stop it from happening.

[@kevinhillgrenjr2248]

That is nuts just for the blower motor

[@elpuerco6059]

Best repairs are part less.

[@bartdaw6681]

I had the same thing happen to my wife’s 2015 VW Beetle, the same thing, a piece of paper on the squirrel cage caused a nasty noise!

[@PrivateUsername]

Mine usually starts squeaking at a non-max speed. I think I've replaced it at least once in each VW I've owned.